


I Like My Coffee Like I Like My Girls (hot)

by findmethestars (Atunenamedclara)



Series: Swanqueen Week Winter 2017 [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Business AU, Coffee Shops, Emma Swan annoys the hell out of Regina Mills but she quite fancies her too, F/F, Swan Queen Week, coffee dates, s1 fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9519716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atunenamedclara/pseuds/findmethestars
Summary: Regina Mills is a power woman, plain and simple. Emma Swan is a pain in her ass and may quite well be a bit simple.She also has terrible taste in coffee.





	

Coffee is one of those things that define a person. If you drink it with sugar and milk, you're probably doing it because its one of those things you view as a necessity, but you keep trying to kid yourself that you like the taste.  
If you drink it blended and sweetened with cream on top, you're not drinking it for necessity, you're drinking it because it will look really good in that Instagram shot.  
And if you drink it sharp and bitter and black, you probably need it now and need it fast.

Regina Mills liked to drink her coffee black. She even had a routine down when she ordered it every morning.  
She would get a cab to drop her off a block past her office. This would leave her outside Starbucks at exactly 8:35, give or take a few minutes for traffic.  
Then, she would nod good morning to the homeless man sitting outside the store and step neatly inside. She would smile distantly at the barista and place an order for a "large Americano, no milk, no sugar". Her card would be swiped and she would move to the end of the counter to await her order. The time would now be 8:39.  
Her coffee would be delivered to her at 8:41 and she would thank the barista before stepping outside, coffee in hand, to make the walk to her office. She would arrive no later than 8:45, ready to start her day.

Her routine was the same, day in, day out, rain or shine, summer or winter. Although if it was really hot outside she might switch it up and order a "large iced Americano, no milk, no sugar" instead. But aside from that, her order stayed exactly the same.

So imagine her displeasure one morning when she found herself standing in line behind none other than Emma Swan.

Emma Swan worked in the office next door Regina's. Nobody was really sure what she did other than annoy the senior management, but they all knew that she was good at her job, because she wouldn't be there anymore if she wasn't.  
The other thing everybody knew about her was that Regina Mills, top lawyer and graduate from Harvard Law School, really, really didn't like her.

Everything the blonde woman did irritated Regina. From the way she conducted business phone calls (door open, feet on desk, gum popping) to her obnoxiously coloured car, that woman rubbed her the wrong way from head to toe.

Regina rolled her eyes as she walked into Starbucks that morning and was greeted by a head of wild blonde curls and a red leather jacket. She strode up behind Emma, hoping she wouldn't take too long to order and immediately stiffened as she heard Emma casually enquire after the barista's girlfriend. She was leaning on the counter and laughing, gesturing as she spoke to the long legged brunette woman.  
Regina cleared her throat pointedly. Emma whipped her head round and broke into a grin when she saw Regina standing there.  
"Regina! Hey! I didn't know you came here!"  
"Well now you do. And when you're quite done chatting up the barista I would like to order my drink." Regina replied crisply, not bothering to look Emma in the eye.  
"Oh! Um, well ok. Guess I'll see you tonight, Ruby?" Emma moved off towards the end of the counter to await her drink, rolling her eyes as she went.

Regina placed her order quickly, eyes trained on her watch as she realised she would be five minutes late for work. Whilst only minimal, it threw her day off balance and made her feel out of control. Of course Emma Swan would ruin her day. Of course.

Just as Emma was slipping the lid onto her tall caramel coloured drink, covered in cream of course, and Regina was blowing on her black coffee as she made her way towards the door, a ping ran out from both Regina's handbag and the pocket of Emma's jacket. Regina placed her coffee down carefully on a spare table and pulled out her phone.  
An email was waiting on the lock screen for her and the header alone was enough to make her growl under her breath and sit down heavily.

 _We regret to inform you_ , it ran, _that due to unforeseen circumstances the power and water have stopped working in our New York offices. We will keep you updates as the day goes on but as for now, they are inaccessible._

"Day off, huh?" Emma Swan appeared behind Regina with a grin on her face.  
"Of course not. I'll just work from here. They have wifi, do they not?"  
Emma shrugged "Yeah? I guess? I don't know, I'm um, gonna go home I guess so..."  
"Oh, don't let me stop you. I'm going to use the time to catch up on some emails. I assumed you would do the same but I suppose I understand if you wish to sleep away the day instead."  
She arched an eyebrow coolly, enjoying the show as Emma squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.  
"Hmmm..you know...I might actually um..work on something here too. Y'no, in case they open the offices midday. Don't want to have to turn around and drive all the way back in an hour" Emma laughed weakly.  
"Of course" Regina sat down and pulled a sleek MacBook from her bag. Opening it, she began to type furiously as soon as her screen had loaded.  
Emma sipped her drink idly and stared into space, waiting for her laptop load up. It was an old HP, battered and covered in stickers, and wouldn't have looked out of place in a fourteen year old's bedroom.  
She pulled out her phone and flicked through instagram, whistling approvingly at the occasional picture.

Eventually, without even looking up from her screen, Regina muttered "Can you stop that Miss Swan? Or do you have some sort of breathing problem I should know about?"  
Emma glared back at her, pulling a face as she began to whistle loudly and tunelessly.  
Regina slammed the lid of her laptop down. Her face was flushed with anger.

"Miss Swan! Some of us are trying to concentrate! Now, I understand that you seem to be permanently stuck in the mind of a nine year old boy, you drink coffee milkshakes for breakfast and wouldn't understand how to be professional if it slapped you in the face. But, like it or not, you work for a top law firm, and whilst I'm doubtful that you've ever done anything useful, I'm sure your clients would appreciate it if you put some time and effort into them for once!"

She sat back, breathing heavily as she waited for Emma's response. But the blonde just stared, mouth slightly open as the force of Regina's words hit her. She leaned forward in her chair, until her eyes were level with Regina's. Cool, furious green locked onto angry, fire filled brown, and she spoke quietly, anger apparent in every syllable.

"No. You listen to me you over-dressed, rich mommy's girl. You sit in your office day after day, oozing entitlement and tapping out emails on your expensive laptop to rich white women looking to make the most money in their divorces. I _fought_ my way up the ladder, I didn't get a nice easy ride to Harvard, I _fought_ for it. I worked back to back shifts in slimy little bars to pay my way, and even then I still had mountains of debt. Now you may think I do nothing with my life, but whilst you spend your time in meetings with wine moms, I defend children in abuse cases. So yes, my clients do appreciate the time and effort I put into them. May I get back to work now, your majesty?"

Regina's face was a picture of shock as she stared at Emma who was studiously ignoring her as she made concerted effort the get whipped cream off the side of her cup, using only her pinky.

Silence ensued as Regina tried to get back to her work, but suddenly she couldn't concentrate on the detailed essay she was reading on divorce settlements. Emma's words were echoing over and over in her head, creating a direct contrast to the apparently carefree woman sitting across from her who was now engaged in building a pyramid of sugar packets with one hand, as she typed out an email with the other.  
Regina had to break the silence, she didn't know how but she had to. She couldn't sit here like this for the rest of the day.  
"I...um, I'm going to get a refill. Can I get you anything?" She asked hesitantly.  
"Sure" Emma replied with an easy grin "can I just get a green tea, one sugar?"  
Regina blinked in surprise. That wasn't an order she expected to hear. Hmm. Emma Swan was full of surprises it seemed.

She returned a few minutes later, two hot cups balanced carefully in her hands. Emma nodded her thanks and held up a finger as she listened carefully to something someone was saying to her on the other end of the phone.  
"Mhmm. Yep. I understand. Thank you for your time Ms Lucas. Have a good day now, yep, ok, bye, bye."

Emma set her phone down and grinned at Regina "thanks, I'll pay you back later"  
Regina waved her hand "forget it, call it an apology"  
"For what?" Emma looked at her curiously.  
"For...well, the way I spoke to you before. I didn't...I didn't know"  
Emma leaned back in her chair and smirked "Oh, I know. You haven't exactly kept your dislike of me quiet"  
Regina blushed and looked down at her hands before replying again "I'm starting to think I was wrong about you. It was narrow minded of me to think that you were bad at your job"

Emma shrugged and took a sip, forgetting how hot her drink was. "Ow!" She yelped, scalded.  
Regina smirked "call that karma for calling me a mommy's girl"  
"Hmmm. Fair enough" Emma sipped again, more cautiously this time.

"But really" Regina continued "I _am_ sorry for the way I've treated you for the past few months. It was wrong of me"  
"Yeah, it was" Emma shrugged with a glint in her eye "but I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least partially trying to provoke you"  
"You were?!"  
"Well yeah, I spent two hours on youtube one evening learning how to blow bubblegum bubbles. That was great by the way, I could hear you shudder through the walls every time I popped one"  
Regina stared at her dumbfounded. She had imagined Emma yelling at her for the way she treated her, storming out, throwing a glass. But what she had not imagined was Emma Swan doing it on purpose, just to annoy her.  
"But...But _why_?!"  
Emma grinned her slow, lopsided grin "Easy. I think you're kinda cute Mills. I was hoping I could take you out sometime"  
"You...you want to go on a date with me?!"  
"Mhmmm"  
Regina leaned back in her chair and raised a perfectly shaped brow "well then dear, why didn't you just ask?"  
Emma shrugged "seemed more fun this way?"  
"Well...yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it" Regina picked her cup up and placed it down again gently, unsure of what to do with her hands.

Emma looked expectantly at her, waiting for the brunette woman to answer her request. But when nothing seemed forthcoming she sighed.  
"So, will you?"  
"Will I what dear?" Regina smirked, knowing full well where this was going, but wanting to make Emma say it.  
"Will you...go on a date with me?"  
"Of course. Why on earth didn't you say sooner? Have anywhere nice in mind?"  
Emma smiled, a proper one this time, with a glint in her eye and colour in her cheeks.  
"Oh god, anywhere but a coffee shop!"  
And Regina had to agree with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to like and comment, I won't hold it against you if you don't, but I might just lose sleep over it.  
> Jk, jk, hope you enjoyed this, hope it wasn't too stupid, personally the idea of Emma ever being a serious business woman just cracks me up, but I'll try writing anything once..!  
> Come say hi over on twitter, @findmethestars, and check back for the rest of this week for more Swanqueen Week fic!  
> Xx


End file.
